THE GUIDE TO
CREATING MIND BLOWING CONTENT
Quintain Marketing is a full service marketing agency committed to the belief that there is a place in the market for a highly focused marketing agency which can provide its clients a distinct range of services in a thoughtful, professional and personal way. Our product is a relationship, not simply a transaction or process delivery. We’re passionate about creativity and sticklers for quality, while also obsessed with providing our customers top notch service. That’s why so many of them – big and small – keep coming back.
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JOHN BOOTH
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John is the President / Creative Director of Quintain Marketing. With over 20 years of sales, leadership and marketing experience, John has an insider’s understanding of what businesses need as well as the creative skills to develop marketing solutions that are unique and effective. Before entering the marketing field, John spent 13 years in the professional services and IT industries. Through his IT background, John has led the expansion of Quintain Marketing’s product offerings.
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Why Content The “How To’s” of Purchasing... Let’s Compare If I Only Knew Then What I Know Now... Share the View from 10,000 Feet “I Didn’t See that Coming...” Here’s the Plan Teach the PDQ’s ASAP Share Your Tools A Strong Foundation Going Forward The Best of the Best Measure It Conclusion www.quintainmarketing.com | 5
01 | WHY CONTENT
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Open up just about any marketing journal or magazine these days and you’ll find an article on content marketing. This strategy, which emphasizes the creation and publication of original content -including blog posts, case studies, white papers, videos and photos -- for the purpose of generating leads, enhancing a brand’s visibility, and putting the company’s subject matter expertise on display, is growing dramatically in popularity due to its proven effectiveness. Last year, HiveFire, a Cambridge, Mass.-based internet marketing software solutions company, surveyed nearly 400 marketing professionals about the state of the business-to-business, or B2B, market, and discovered that marketers are retreating from traditional marketing tactics such as search marketing and have made content marketing the most-used tactic in their brand-enhancing tool box. In fact, twice as many B2B marketers now employ content marketing as they do print, TV and radio advertising, according to the survey.
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Why is content marketing so popular?
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When done properly, content marketing improves the quality of leads for a business, which in turn results in a higher close rate Compared to other forms of marketing, content marketing is very inexpensive Content marketing reaches prospective customers where they spend the most time - online
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With research pointing to the continued growth in popularity of content marketing as a business marketing strategy, it has become increasingly important to understand not only what content marketing is, but how to generate great content.
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Five Must-Have Content Characteristics Layout: All of your topics should focus on educating and informing. You already have brochures and sales material and this is not more of the same. Make sure that your content is written to educate, and not to sell. Orderly: Provide your content in a format that is easy to understand and share. People love lists. Important: All content needs value, critical value. Don’t talk for the sake of talking… Timelessness: The information provided in your content should be “evergreen”, meaning it should never go out of date (Forever relevant). Familiarity: You already understand the issues and the solutions. Talk about what you know.
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02 | THE “HOW TO’S OF PUCHASING...
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Knowledge is power. The more you educate your prospective customers, the more empowered they will become to evaluate options and, ultimately, make the decision to purchase. Think about how you buy. When you first realize that you have a need, you don’t generally jump right into evaluating a specific product or service. Instead, you focus on learning more about the various options. Who are the major suppliers? What type of product or service is going to best fit your needs? At this early stage in the buying process, great content helps to guide your prospect with information that reduces the unknown and improves the likelihood that they will achieve business success using your service or product.
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What does this look like in practice? You might write a blog, eBook or whitepaper with a title such as: Know the 4 Key Parts Needed for a Successful… 7 Things You Must Know Before… Is Your Coverage Complete?
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As you prepare your content, consider organizing information into a logical process, or series of steps. This is unfamiliar territory for your audience, so step-by-step directions make it easier for them to absorb the information you are providing. Examples include:
‣ Review Our 3 Stage Process for a Successful… ‣ 4 Simple Steps to…
Your focus is education and not product information. You should not focus on your offering or solution here; it’s too early in the process.
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Time To Plan Your Content Single-minded: Cover only one idea per page. Shape the conversation: Begin with relevance - add your perspective and finish with the next steps. Engage: Consider adding details to past blog topics. Chunk it out: Break up your content into stages and offer each piece over a defined time period. This will increase the likelihood that all of your content is consumed. Boost it: Great content does not just come in written form. Add video, podcasts or webinars. (People learn in different ways) Reuse: Update your content annually or more often if needed. Your audience today is not going to be the same in 6 months. Schedule: All of your content should be planned out in your Marketing Calendar. (Don’t have a marketing calendar? Use ours!)
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03 | LET’S COMPARE
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As the old saying goes, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” This is very true for uneducated buyers and often leads them down the path of shopping based on price. Because of their lack of knowledge, they simply don’t know what questions to ask. Your content can be an important educational tool that provides them with a list of the questions that they should be asking as they do research and make their purchasing decisions. You know the questions … they’re the ones that cut out the fluff and get right to the meat of the matter. What’s it look like…?
‣ 7 Questions Your Service Provider Would Rather Not Answer ‣ 9 Questions That Level The Playing Field ‣ 3 Questions to Ask After the Project is Completed ‣ 6 Questions to Ask Before You Are Given a Quote…
The more you can place your feet in their shoes, the greater the authority you will earn.
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04 |
IF I ONLY KNEW THEN WHAT I
KNOW NOW...
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Mistakes are painful, but every successful journey includes moments when you strayed off the path. Take WD-40, for example. Short for the fortieth water deterrent formula tested by the manufacturer, this common household product would never have made it to the market if its inventors hadn’t have persevered through their initial failures. When you share your blunders and mistakes, and offer your success stories, your audience will truly take notice and listen. What does it look like…? 8 Mistakes Made by First Time Buyers of… 3 Mistakes That Seem Minor But Will Have a Dramatic Impact on… The 10 Most Common Mistakes We See Year After Year First Time? Don’t Make These 6 Mistakes
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Odds are there is more than one person involved or affected by a purchase. Use “mistakes” to introduce the need to include departments or groups not obviously impacted by the sale.
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05 | SHARE THE VIEW FROM 10,000 FEET
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The experience you have in your field, combined with your day-today activities, means that you have knowledge that would often take a lifetime to replicate. It’s easy to take for granted the perspective that comes with this experience. Subtle changes in the economy, technology or regulation can mean big changes to your industry. Sharing your perspective on what these changes or developments mean validates your position as an expert in the field. What’s it look like…?
‣ 7 Potential Outcomes of… ‣ 4 Ways a Change in Legislation Will Impact… ‣ 6 Ways an Aging Society is Changing… Continuing to inform the marketplace with predictions positions your voice as an insider with unique access and information - two key pieces to any successful transaction.
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06 | “I DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING...
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Sure they didn’t, but you did… Use your industry experience to help newbies avoid common pitfalls. Create content that will help your audience to recognize the “writing on the wall” when they otherwise might miss the warning signals. When you share your perspective and offer suggestions that minimize risk and cost, you become a trusted advisor. What’s it look like? 5 Signs that there is trouble on the horizon 3 common signals that you’re over budget 8 Signs the account is at risk
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As a trusted advisor, you will have more influence, and often access, early in the decision making process.
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07 | HERE’S THE PLAN
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Travel is always easier when you have a road map. Tying together your experience and pairing it with a game plan is a great way to reduce your prospect’s anxiety. Content that focuses on the plan can be used to reduce your clients’ and prospects’ fear and, at the same time, give you an opportunity to promote your competency and the solution you offer. What does it look like...?
‣ 8 Steps to higher employee moral ‣ 5 Steps to increasing your website traffic ‣ 12 Ways to lower the cost of employee benefits ‣ 6 step plan to a successful product launch
Positioning your solutions is the next step in your relationship with a prospect.
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08 | TEACH THE PDQ’S ASAP
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Every industry has its unique terms and acronyms. This can be an added source of frustration for someone unfamiliar with common buzzwords. Provide an easy solution by creating content that lists the most common terms and provides simple clear definitions. To get started, think about what terms your customers and prospects must know. Focus on content to demystify commonly misused or misunderstood words. What does it look like…?
‣ 10 Social media terms you should know ‣ 8 Key association regulatory terms ‣ The 12 most important military intelligence terms Information written in non-industry language or jargon is easy to share with all involved in the decision making process.
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09 | SHARE YOUR TOOLS
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If you are an industry expert, your knowledge of your field includes an understanding of the best tools and resources available. Sharing where you stay up to date or find the best industry intelligence adds to your credibility. Recommending websites, blogs or books is an opportunity to demonstrate your selflessness and willingness to educate. What does it look like…?
‣ Top 10 resources for benefit plan comparison ‣ 6 Recommended books for the new business owner ‣ 4 blog sites with the most current industry analysis Remember it’s not the data that has value, but rather what you do with it.
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10 | A STRONG FOUNDATION
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Success in anything is built on a solid foundation. The skills needed to succeed in your field are likely very diverse. Create content that offers information that expands the perspective of your audience. When you expose your audience to new information, you showcase your knowledge. Your foundation might include administrative, planning or marketing resources. Achieving a goal requires diverse qualifications - attitudes, budget, experiences, tools, or training. What does it look like…?
‣ 5 Tools You’ll Need to Get Boardroom Support ‣ 8 Skills Needed to Reduce Turnover ‣ 6 Attitude Adjustments That Demonstrate Expertise Exposing a “blind spot” will lead to near instant credibility with your audience.
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11 | GOING FORWARD
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Even with a well-planned buying process, there is a good chance the buyer has not purchased a perfect solution. It could be the result of an incomplete assessment of their needs or maybe their needs have changed since the process began. When you demonstrate your willingness to invest in the relationship even after the sale is made, you gain trust by placing the needs of the buyer ahead of your own. What does it look like…?
‣ 7 Steps to Continued Compliance ‣ 10 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your CRM ‣ 5 Steps to Maintaining Peak Production Help make the most of their purchase even if they didn’t buy from you.
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12 | THE BEST OF THE BEST
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Stories are a great way to communicate a message. By creating content that highlights top performers or best practices, you can highlight the “human” side of your business. Shining the spotlight on people or companies that have succeeded also allows your prospect to visualize their success. What does it look like…?
‣ 7 Essentials of Regulatory Compliance ‣ 12 Elements of a World Class Golf Event ‣ 6 Secrets to Nonstop Progress Shine the spotlight on your client’s achievement, which is due in part to your product or service.
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13 | MEASURE IT
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The holy grail of marketing is the ability to measure ROI. Managing by measurement demonstrates what’s working and what’s not and eliminates emotion from the analysis. It is also a compelling tool to use in discussions at the boardroom level. Make it easy for your prospects to justify their purchase by creating content that highlights how your clients have achieved success using your product or service. What does it look like…?
‣ 6 Metrics to Track Decreased Claims ‣ How do Promotional Products Impact Customer Satisfaction? 3 Necessary Tools 8 Tools to Track Customer Satisfaction
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Measuring early and often will build your ROI case.
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14 | CONCLUSION
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Great content is platform agnostic. It doesn’t matter whether you package your information as an eBook, a whitepaper, a podcast, or a video – the secret to creating amazing content is to touch on topics that resonate with your audience:
‣ Answer their questions ‣ Allay their fears ‣ Help them avoid common mistakes ‣ Give them access to helpful tools and resources ‣ Etcetera
By giving your audience helpful information, you will be positioned as an expert. And that means that when they are ready to buy, you will be top of mind.
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